Q: I was really happy to see that Erica Enders, who had a Disney Channel movie made about her drag-racing abilities, is now running in Pro Stock in NHRA. Can she win?
A: You bet she can, Samantha. In her first professional race, she just missed qualifying in the toughest division in NHRA racing: Pro Stock. With only 16 spots to fill at each race, the list of non-qualifiers often numbers 15 or more pro racers who pack up and go home. Specifically, Erica drove her Cagnazzi Racing Chevy Cavalier at the season-opening 2005 Winternationals to a 6.786-second run at 202.67 mph and finished 18th best, just missing the 6.671 qualifying bump spot.
If she wins, and I believe eventually she will, she’ll become the first female to win in the Pro Stock division. Only four other women have ever competed in the class since its inception back in the early ’70s: Shirley Shahan, Judy Lilly, Lucinda McFarland and Shay Nichols. Of those four women, only Lilly and Shahan earned a win at the national level, but they did so in the lower Super Stock and Stock classes, respectively.
No female racer has won or qualified No. 1 in Pro Stock’s 31-year history, with McFarland posting the category’s lone female round win before losing in round two. Earlier this season, Enders, who was born in Houston, Texas, claimed the Super Gas crown at the NHRA national event in — you guessed it — Houston.
The Walt Disney made-for-TV movie entitled “Right on Track” was based loosely on Erica and sister Courtney’s life story as Junior Drag Racers up to Erica’s rookie season in 2000. Beverley Mitchell, noted for her role on “7th Heaven,” played Erica in the movie, and was at Erica’s pro debut as a team member to cheer her on.
Following her graduation from Cy Springs High School, where she lettered in both volleyball and golf while racing and maintaining a straight “A” average, Erica was accepted and is now a full-time student at Texas A&M University. She plans to graduate as a Business and Sports Marketing major in 2006. Erica is only 21, and has lots of great years ahead of her.
Q: I just watched the Budweiser Shootout on a high-definition television and was thrilled with the picture. Why did it take so long for racing to come to HDTV?
A: I also enjoyed the Budweiser Shootout and all of the FOX/NBC/TNT racing events in high definition, and can only say hold on for a great racing season! I did notice that not all of the cameras used were high-definition capable, but the main cameras were, and it looked just like it would if you were at the track.
I feel the main reason it took so long for auto racing to move to high definition for the full season was costs, as many more cameras are used in auto racing than in other sports. Mark Cuban’s HDTV Net presented the very first high-definition broadcast, a CART race on a road course a few years ago, if my recall is correct. NBC/TNT did a few HD NASCAR races in 2004 to whet fans’ appetites, but with NBC/TNT/FOX all onboard for the complete 2005 season in high definition, all I can say is sit back and enjoy.
I expect many high-definition television sets to be sold based solely on racing’s popularity in America.